Riding WIDE

ABSA A10 came into my life in 1980, so this year we’ll celebrate 40 years together. For the first half of our relationship, the Beezer was a standard Golden Flash, finished handsomely in black. For the second half, it has pulled a sleek sidecar, and has been dressed in gold, or, rather, Golden Flash Beige. Readers will hopefully be interested in two things: first, what work has been done on this Beezer over the years, and second, why turn a serviceable solo into an outfit? Like many owners, I modify my bikes to address shortcomings or to repair damage or breakdowns. Often, the fixes introduce new parts that perform better than the originals. In this spirit, the solo BSA acquired a 12V conversion in 1985, using a JG unit from Devimead to replace a dead control unit. Later, a grumbling bottom end necessitated an engine rebuild which included an SRM needle-roller timing side conversion. This was in the Steve McFarlane days at SRM and I was impressed that the finished engine was delivered